


When a Cat Doesn't Land on His Feet

by internetshutin



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gabriel Agreste's Stellar Parenting, Gen, Hawkmoth Defeat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22028713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/internetshutin/pseuds/internetshutin
Summary: When Rena Rouge finds out the identity of the villain who's been terrorizing Paris, Chat Noir doesn't know how to react. His entire world is flipped upside-down, and he's not sure who to trust.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59





	When a Cat Doesn't Land on His Feet

“Pound it!” The heroes were exhausted and beat down after their battle, but Ladybug’s stoic smile never seemed to fade. She reached out to Carapace to help him to his feet. “You guys did great today. Let’s go get your Miraculouses off before you change back.”

“Actually,” Rena Rouge said, breathless, “we need to talk to you about something.” She glanced at Chat Noir. “You both should hear this.” 

The two exchanged a look, but shrugged and followed Rena Rouge and Carapace into an alley where they could talk without being overheard. “What’s all this about?” Ladybug asked. “We’re about to change back, this can’t take long.”

Rena Rouge glanced at her partner and pressed her lips together. She looked uncharacteristically serious. “I’ve figured out who Hawkmoth is.”

Behind her mask, Ladybug’s eyes went wide. For the first time, it seemed, her confidence had faltered. “What? How? Who?”

Chat Noir’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”

Hazel eyes lowered. “I sort of hope I’m wrong, actually. If I’m right, then one of my school friends is stuck in a house with a supervillain.” She reached for her phone and handed it over. “But I don’t think I’m wrong. Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth, and if that’s true, then Mayura is probably his assistant, Nathalie Sancoeur.”

 _You’re lying._ She had to be. There was no way... But why would she lie? All at once, it seemed so obvious. The hidden rooms, the book behind his mother's portrait, Nathalie's strange illness that matched his mother's... Nobody spoke for a few long seconds that felt like centuries. 

“Dude?” Carapace reached out to touch his arm. “Are you good?” He seemed nervous. “Listen, I get it. Adrien Agreste is… an acquaintance of mine. Thinking of him stuck there freaks me out.”

Chat Noir shook his head and shrugged off the hand. “I’m fine. I should get going so you can change back.” His voice sounded hollow. In less time than it took to blink, he was just a black streak flying through the air.

* * *

“Hey, Kitty.” Chat Noir was broken from his reverie and looked up to see Ladybug approaching him. “I let Carapace and Rena Rouge keep their Miraculouses. If Hawkmoth figures out they found him, they could be in danger.” She shook her head and sat on the ledge with a warm smile. “What’s on your mind?” 

He couldn’t say. What would she think of him? Her partner, the one she relied on, had lived under the same roof as a supervillain since they’d been working together and was too _stupid_ to see the truth. “Nothing much,” he said. “I just didn’t want to change back in front of those two.”

She nodded, but even with the mask he could tell she didn’t buy it. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that. You’ve asked before, and I know I always refused, but…” Her hand was resting on his. “I’ve seen you put yourself in danger to protect me as a civilian, and I’ve put myself in danger trying to keep my secret from you. We can’t keep hiding ourselves like this.”

Oh, why was she saying this _now?_ Why, after all the _“Not yet, Kitty”s_ and _“We can’t”s_ was she going back right after they’d found out his father… He couldn’t even think it. She was looking at him with those pretty blue eyes, so expectant… He couldn’t bear to see her hurt. He looked away. “I can’t.” His voice was barely more than a whisper. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” She stood. Her eyes were narrowed now. “Why not? Chat, you’ve been begging me to show you who I am for months, and now that I actually want to, you’ve got cold feet?”

He started to extend his staff, but she wouldn’t let him get away so easily. She grabbed the staff and refused to let go. He tried to turn, to explain that he just _couldn’t_ , but he stopped dead. She was crying. She never cried, but her face was scrunched up and tears spilled over her mask and down her cheeks. Her earrings were flashing fast, in tandem with his ring, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. “My Lady-”

“No! What is wrong with you?! I’m trying to be honest, like you wanted! I’m trying to show that we can trust each other, but you-!” 

Chat Noir flicked his staff out of her hand and was gone in an instant, the only trace of him a flash of green light as he ducked behind a building. All he heard was a broken sob and a scream of frustration.

* * *

Nathalie was giving Adrien a strange look over the table. Not that Adrien could blame her. It had to be disconcerting, seeing him glare at his father’s hidden face. “Adrien, are you ready for school?” she asked.

Adrien turned his glare on her. “Yeah.” He shoved his chair out from the table and grabbed his bag. He stormed out to the car, where his bodyguard was already waiting. Was he in on it, too? Was everyone in his life a supervillain? He crossed his arms and glared out the window as they drove through the streets of Paris to school. He didn’t even give them a goodbye as he took the front steps two at a time and went to class.

Were people staring at him? He caught Alya glancing his way more than a few times just on the way to his seat, and Nino seemed uncertain in his usual high-five greeting. Stranger, though, was Marinette, who wasn’t looking at him at all. She looked tired, and her eyes looked puffy. Alya managed to tear her eyes away from Adrien long enough to try and comfort her friend, but to little avail. Despite her attempts to calm down, Adrien saw a few tears slip down her nose and onto her paper. He couldn’t bring himself to pay attention to the lesson, doodling in the corners of his notebook and staring aimlessly out the window. 

That was how he saw the butterfly. It slipped through the window as if it weren’t solid and fluttered around the room, searching for someone- for Marinette, he realized. He stood, slamming his hands down on the desk. “Everybody get out!”

“Huh?” It was almost in unison, but when the class saw the Akuma, they didn’t ask any further questions. It was a mad dash out of the room, but before Adrien and Marinette could make it out, the door closed and locked. 

Marinette yanked on the handle. “What’s going on? Open the door!”

Of all people, it was Lila who answered. “I can’t! The handle’s stuck!”

Adrien could practically see the hairs on the back of Marinette’s neck rise. “Find someone else to unlock us!” The Akuma had apparently found little interest in them now that the focus wasn’t on whatever had made Marinette cry, and was flying around the room looking for a perch.”This is all my fault,” Marinette whimpered. “I shouldn’t have gotten so worked up.”

“It’s okay,” Adrien said. “Just take a deep breath and stay calm. Ladybug should be here soon to fix this.”

Marinette’s posture tensed. “Yeah…” She didn’t sound convinced. “Or Chat Noir.”

Adrien grimaced. _Not unless you get out of the room first._ They watched the Akuma and edged around the room to keep as far from it as possible. “Do you mind if I ask you what happened?”

She looked away. She was kind of cute when she was embarrassed, Adrien noted. “My friend and I had a disagreement.”

“What kind of disagreement?” The question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. “You don’t have to answer that.”

“No, it’s okay. We disagreed on how close of friends we were.”

Adrien reached out to squeeze her hand. “I’m sorry. That sounds really hard.” She squeaked, and her cheeks turned puce. 

The door flew open, and two figures burst in. Rena Rouge spun her flute in her fingers so fast it was a blur. Carapace held his shield out in front of him. “Both of you get out!” 

They obliged and ran in opposite directions. Adrien slipped into the boy’s locker room and thrust his fist out. “Plagg, claws out!” 

In a moment he was sprinting back to meet the group. Ladybug was in mid-yo-yo fling when he got there, capturing the Akuma. “Gotcha!” She looked down at the yo-yo in her hand.

“We got lucky,” Rena Rouge said. “Nobody even got Akumatized this time. Good for Marinette keeping her cool.”

Ladybug nodded, but she didn’t seem all that present. What was she thinking of? “We should follow it,” she said. “Rena Rouge, you said that the Akumas all fly to the same point when they’re de-evilized, right? That’s how you figured out Hawkmoth’s identity?”

Rena Rouge nodded. “That’s right. They all returned to the Agreste mansion, no matter where they were. At least the ones I could track.”

“Then if you’re right, this one should lead us right to Hawkmoth, right?”

“It should,” she agreed. But she didn’t seem all that eager to run into battle. 

Ladybug didn’t notice her apprehension. “Good. Chat, I’m glad you’re here.” Nothing else. The glow in her eyes was gone. She barely acknowledged him as anything more than a teammate. “You two should get going. If something happens to us, Paris will need superheroes. We can’t risk you getting hurt.” She took a deep breath and tapped on her yo-yo, which popped open to release the Akuma. “You ready?”

“Yeah.” _Let’s go beat up my dad, I guess._ And they were off, dashing through the streets of Paris hot on the trail of a little white butterfly.

The Agreste mansion loomed large in front of them. Chat Noir kept hoping the Akuma might find another path, maybe to some bunker in the sewers, but it kept steadily on its path to the stained-glass window of Gabriel Agreste’s study. 

The heroes perched on the roof and peeked in the window to watch. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe… But there was Hawkmoth, clear as day, gripping his walking stick so tight it looked as if it might snap. He muttered something they couldn’t hear, and the costume melted away. Chat Noir’s heart sank. There was nothing else, no way he could defend his father or pretend it wasn’t real. His Kwami was right there, looking scared and small.

“Poor Adrien,” Ladybug said. It snapped Chat Noir back to the real world. “What should we do?” She answered herself before Chat Noir could. The way she furrowed her brow and started pacing made him smile. She was cute all the time, but with her nose scrunched up like that and her hand on her chin... “If we defeat him and arrest him, Adrien will be left without parents. But that doesn’t mean we should leave him to live with a supervillain.”

“Or we could just-” Chat Noir raised his staff above his head and smashed through the window. 

“Chat!” Ladybug reached for him, but before she could grab him, he was in the study, wielding his staff. She fell in behind him, swinging her yo-yo. “What is with you?! What about a plan?!” 

Gabriel was frozen in the doorway, staring at the duo. “What on Earth is going on here? Nooroo! Dark wings rise!” But nothing happened. The Kwami was too weak to activate his master’s powers.

Chat Noir ignored Ladybug’s chastising, ignored Gabriel’s question, just swung his staff and caught Gabriel in the ribs. “So it was _you!”_

Gabriel took a knee, gasping for breath. His walking stick was the only thing keeping him upright. 

The black staff swung through the air once more and cracked against a skull. Before he could hit him again, a pair of strong arms looped around his, holding him back. Ladybug was whispering something in his ear, trying to calm him down, but he couldn’t hear it over his own heartbeat. He just pulled against her grip, trying to continue his rampage. “You put everyone in danger! Paris was destroyed time and time again, and for what?! A _wish?!_ What could possibly be so important that you would put an entire city at risk?”

“Emilie,” Gabriel croaked.

Chat Noir froze. Ladybug released him and stepped forward. “Your wife? What about her?”

Gabriel rolled onto his hands and knees, chest heaving. “She isn’t dead. She has been comatose for years. I can bring her back. I just need your Miraculouses. I just need… Adrien needs his mother.” _She’s not dead. She’s still alive. Where is she?_

That reignited the rage in Chat Noir’s chest. But before he could say anything, Ladybug spoke up. “Don’t use your son as an excuse! If you think Adrien would want this, then that just goes to show that you have no idea who your son is!” She was seething, hands balled into fists. “You’re just a villain. You’re terrorizing a city- you use and manipulate everyone, even children- and you think Adrien would ever approve of that?!”

_How would you know? What could you possibly know about who I am?_

“How would you know what my son would approve of? You don’t know him!” Gabriel’s eyes blazed. He forced himself to his feet. “Nathalie! Get in here!”

Where normally would come a rush of footsteps, was silence. Nathalie wasn’t coming. “Guess we’re on our own, huh? Normally I’d say this isn’t fair, with you being powerless and all, but you’ve never played by the rules, have you?” Chat Noir raised his hand in the sky. “Cataclysm!” He reared back and lunged for Gabriel. 

His hand was an inch away from his face when Ladybug caught it. “No! This isn’t how we do things! If you kill him, you’re no better than he is!” She looked… scared? No, that wasn’t right. Ladybug never got scared of anything. But the worst part was that she was scared of _him._ Scared of what he would do. 

Chat Noir’s eyes were fixed on Gabriel’s, daring him to move. He slowly lowered them. “Fine.” Ladybug released his wrist, and Chat Noir reached for the pin in Gabriel’s cravat. It turned to black dust at his fingertips and fell to the ground. 

“No!” Gabriel collapsed to the ground, picking up the dust as if that might bring back the Miraculous. “What have you done?!”

Chat Noir glared at him coldly. “Hawkmoth is done. But don’t worry. Since you care so much about your son, we won’t have you arrested. So you can be free, and powerless, for the rest of your days. Maybe it’ll give you time to work on your fashion designs. My Lady, why don’t you go find Mayura and I’ll sweep this up.” He pointed to the pile of dust. “We could give it to a new superhero when it reforms.”

Ladybug didn’t move. “I’m not leaving you alone with him. Besides-” She knelt with her yo-yo in hand and pressed a button. The flecks of black dust, as if magnetic, swarmed to the glowing surface. She pressed the button again and the yo-yo closed. “Let’s go find his assistant.”

They found her too soon. Nathalie was in a heap on the floor, clutching her tablet. Chat Noir knelt by her to check her pulse, while Ladybug used her Bugphone to call an ambulance. “Chat, give her CPR. I’m going to look for the peacock Miraculous.”

“Come on, Nathalie,” Chat Noir hissed to her as he pressed down on her chest. Tears were running down his cheeks. “You’re gonna be okay! I’ve got you!” 

He kept doing chest compressions until the ambulance pulled up to take Nathalie away. Gabriel didn’t come down. _Probably too worried about his black eye to think about her,_ Chat Noir thought bitterly. He watched the doctors load her into the back of the ambulance, not even noticing that his ring was blinking until Ladybug grabbed him and dragged him out of view of any cameras. 

She was pacing back and forth across the roof they found themselves on. “Stay right there.”

“I have to go, Bugaboo. I’m about to change back.”

“That’s the thing, Chat! You’ve never minded before! You’ve asked so many times to show each other, and now… what changed? Why don’t you want this?” 

God, there were tears in her eyes. He hated to see her so upset. “I do want this! I want to know who you are, I just… I don’t want you to know who I am. You’d never look at me the same way again. I don’t want you to hate me.”

She stared at him. Her lip was quivering. She reached forward to brush her fingers against his cheek. He hadn’t even realized he was crying, too. “Kitty… There’s nothing you could do to make me hate you. You’re my partner. I’d trust you with my life.”

Chat Noir sniffed. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” She sighed, looking down. “I guess we’d better do it now.”

“Now or never,” he agreed.

“Tikki, spots off.”

“Plagg, claws in.”


End file.
